By JoAnn R. Walter —
Tioga County native Pete Berg, a successful TV producer and documentary filmmaker, is making upstate New York home base again, and after his career has taken him on the road upwards of ten months each year for nearly 17 years.
Home base was Los Angeles for a number of years. Berg most recently lived in Johnson City, Tenn., and in the vicinity of where he films the popular Discovery Channel series, “Moonshiners.”
A 2003 OFA graduate, Berg earned his B.S. in Television and Radio from Ithaca College in 2007, with a major in Video Production and minors in Audio Production and Screenwriting.
Pete reminisced about the time that he, along with a few OFA friends, “Made a lot of really bad straight-to-video movies as a hobby,” and recalled, “We shot a horror film called ‘Loaf,’ which was about a loaf of bread going on a killing spree.”
During those high school days Pete spun his own versions of the hit reality shows, “The Amazing Race” and “Survivor,” i.e., the “Amazing Race Around Owego,” and “Survivor-Hiawatha Island.”
About his college days, Berg remarked, “Ithaca has a really great television, radio and film program, as well as a great student-run television station, ICTV, and exactly the kind of program I wanted to be a part of.”
It was there that Pete learned how to produce, direct, shoot and edit documentaries and films. To fulfill an internship, he worked with documentary filmmaker Slawomir Grunberg in 2004 at Log TV Films, in Spencer, N.Y.
In 2006, Berg completed a semester in Los Angeles via Ithaca’s “L.A. Program,” and interned with Actual Reality Pictures to shoot TLC’s “Flip That House.”
Pictured is Candor, N.Y. native Pete Berg. Berg has had a successful career as a TV producer and documentary filmmaker and has traveled extensively, and recently relocated his home base back to Candor. Provided photo.
Berg recalled, “I learned a lot about how television shows were made, and because the show was so short-staffed by the end of my time there they handed me a camera and asked if I could shoot!”
Pete mused, “This was an incredible opportunity, and under normal circumstances they wouldn’t entrust a 20-year-old, but since the show was so low budget and understaffed, we had 40 episodes to produce in a limited time,” adding, “I was able to step up and do a job that would normally had been filled by someone more experienced.”
Berg continued working with Actual Realty Pictures, and where most projects evolved around home renovation shows, along with shows from the History Channel to MTV, and more.
A favorite project, Berg said, was working on “The Incredible Dr. Pol.” The docu-series had a long run on National Geographic Wild, where Pete and crew followed a Dutch-American veterinarian around rural Michigan for emergency calls, and where Berg lived for three years.
Pete explained, “This was my first animal show, and it began my relationship with National Geographic and National Geographic Wild.”
Pictured is Pete Berg filming the National Geographic Wild series, “Secrets of the Zoo” in Tampa, Florida. Berg has had a successful career as a producer and documentary filmmaker. Provided photo.
Several animal series followed, such as “The Adventures of Dr. Buckeye Bottoms” and “When Sharks Attack,” among others.
For “Secrets of the Zoo: Tampa,” Pete followed staff as they provided care for more than 1,100 exotic animals from all over the world. Segments featured manatee rescues, rhino births, penguin hatching, and more. As a co-executive and supervising producer, Berg was responsible for choosing and building stories, from concept to completion.
Berg has filmed around a number of dangerous animals from elephants to tigers, black-angus bulls, and plenty of sharks, too, and noted, “There have been some close calls.”
Pete explained that putting safety of the crew above all else is key, and shared, “Getting good shots is challenging, as is figuring out strategic ways to film without getting hurt,” and further noted that mounted action cameras are often used when dangers are present for human camera operators.
Although, it’s not just animals that Pete has had to take precautions for.
While filming the Spike TV show “Jail,” and during the night shift at county jails in Oregon and Nevada, combative inmates attacked and spit at cameras.
The “danger factor” was weighed for each segment of Discovery’s “American Underworld,” and where bulletproof vests were essential when filming car theft gangs, armed criminals, and people making illegal drugs.
For “Moonshiners,” a series about outlaw liquor makers in Appalachia, Berg said, “There have been various explosions and fires in the backwoods,” and added, “Distilling high proof alcohol is no joke!”
Pictured is Pete Berg, a successful producer and documentary filmmaker, getting some love from a friendly cow. Berg has filmed around a number of dangerous animals and has had some close calls, from elephants to tigers, black-angus bulls, and plenty of sharks, too. Provided photo.
Additionally, Berg is especially proud of the innovative episodes he has produced for “Moonshiners: Master Distiller,” and “Moonshiners: American Spirit.”
When downtime occurs around Berg’s unpredictable schedule, and to take a break from shooting six days a week and 14-hour days, he focuses on satisfying his passion for travel.
On a mission to visit all 63 National Parks, Berg has checked off 31. Fifty countries and all 50 states have a check mark, too.
Berg’s exotic adventures include driving across Morocco on a 50cc motorcycle, handling a rickshaw across India, and maneuvering a mototaxi across Peru. While participating in a “Mongol Rally,” he drove a tiny car through 18 countries from England to Mongolia.
Berg remarked, “These trips, the ones where you’re off the beaten path, lost, don’t speak the language, and are probably broken down, are the kinds of trips that I really enjoy!”
Looking ahead, Pete has a goal to develop and sell his own show, and will pursue producing and directing his own feature length documentary.
Looking back, Berg pointed out, “Your career grows based on networking,” adding, “I love telling stories, and I believe that everyone has a great story to tell.”
Back in Candor, Pete’s parents operate Thunderbird Atlatl, a spear-thrower, darts and accessories manufacturer, where Pete assists with web management and marketing. Pete’s mother, Cheryll Berg, founded the Tioga County Courier print newspaper in the early 1980’s.
To learn more, visit www.peteberg.net.
Awesome,I loved Dr P